Cafcass Reviews 

Disgusting, disrespectful and Disgraceful company. Should be dissolved.

I am a father involved in family court proceedings in Chelmsford, and my experience with Cafcass has left me with very little faith in the system that is supposed to protect children and support families.

I specifically asked for a Cafcass report because I wanted proper scrutiny and evidence before decisions were made about my time with my children. Instead, what I got felt rushed, careless and, in my view, biased.

The Cafcass officer in Chelmsford interviewed me for about an hour and used a speech-to-text recorder. The final report was full of errors and statements which, in my opinion, were simply not accurate. I had offered my medical records and made it clear they were available – they were never requested or reviewed. Important context about my health and my situation was ignored.

To make matters worse, the report was sent to me late on a Friday afternoon, with a court hearing scheduled for the Monday. Cafcass had around three months to prepare this report, yet chose to leave it to the very last minute. That left me with almost no time to correct inaccuracies or meaningfully respond before the court relied on it.

As a father, and as a man who knows he is a good parent, it is hard not to feel that being a male parent worked against me. That is my honest perception after going through this process.

I did not just accept this. I went to my MP, Marie Gould, and then took my complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. I was told my complaint was about the process, not about the court order itself. The Ombudsman’s own wording says they can look at process – yet in my case they have chosen not to. So Cafcass make serious mistakes, the Ombudsman acknowledges they could look at how those decisions were made, and then simply decide they won’t.

From where I stand as a member of the public and a voter, it feels like these organisations close ranks and are effectively unaccountable, even when their actions shape how and when a parent can see their own children. That is frightening.

I will continue to explore options such as judicial review, but I am under no illusion: for an ordinary person, taking on state bodies is extremely difficult and expensive. And that is exactly why Cafcass, the Ombudsman and government need to do far better.

When an organisation has the power to influence whether a parent tucks their children into bed or only sees them under strict conditions, “good enough” is not good enough. We deserve a system that is accurate, fair, transparent and genuinely open to challenge – not one that brushes legitimate concerns aside

They simply do not care about “the child’s best interest”
They are very biased
They assume based on allegations not evidence!

CAFCASS are monsters, this organisation needs shutting down. The reviews speak for themselves, majority of 5 and 4 star reviews and not many might I add have even been incorrectly marked as 5 and 4 stars when reading the reviews and should be removed as it’s not accurate for any person reading what these people are actually about. We can’t all be lying and all CAFCASS officers that put children at risk and are guilty of gross negligence and gross missconduct should all be named. An inquest into this organisation and it’s failure towards children that have led to so many child deaths is much needed.

I’ve had another very long review from Cafcass.
I must say, after 10 years and multiple reviews, they’ve improved a lot in my opinion.
Felicia Cunningham from Cafcass was very professional, she always took the time to explain her thoughts and conclusions, she always took the time to listen without interruption and most importantly her recommendations made sense to me.

I take full accountability for allowing myself to get into this mess and I’m grateful that Cafcass allowed me to voice my concerns.

I would like to thank Cafcass for the help and support I’ve received from them in the past 10 years.

I sincerely hope my children will grow to have a healthy relationship with both their families.

I hope to watch them grow to be happy and have their own family someday. Most importantly I hope to give them the one thing I never had growing up; The presence and love of their father.

Again, thank you Cafcass.
Clarence

My recent experience with Cafcass showed a level of unprofessionalism and irresponsibility that no parent should ever encounter.

I communicated with Cafcass promptly and consistently. In return, I was ignored for days at a time. Important questions went unanswered. When serious decisions were made about restricting my contact with my daughter, no evidence was provided, no allegations were explained, and I was given no opportunity to respond.

Cafcass removed my contact based entirely on claims that were unsubstantiated, uninvestigated, and never put to me. There was no safeguarding order, no police action, no children’s services instruction. Both the police and social services independently confirmed there was no basis whatsoever for restricting my contact. Despite this, Cafcass still blocked my relationship with my daughter.

To make matters worse, the Cafcass officer who initiated the restriction then went on holiday immediately after making her decision, leaving no one assigned to the case and no mechanism to resolve the situation. For 10 days, there was no communication, no clarity, and no accountability from their side.

Emails to Cafcass, the school, and associated agencies were either met with silence or outright refusal to take responsibility. No one stepped in. No one explained anything. No one provided documents, dates, or evidence to justify the decision. I was simply cut off from my daughter with no lawful order, no safeguarding finding, no due process, and only the co-parent’s claim that any restriction existed.

When the officer finally returned and I was interviewed, instead of acknowledging her actions, I was told it would take another four weeks for a decision — despite the fact that she had made the original, life-changing decision in less than a day based purely on one parent’s allegations.

The court hearing that followed only exposed how deep the systemic issues run. The court sent the wrong time to all parties — telling us 12 while scheduling it for 2 — then rushed through a hearing that barely lasted 30 minutes. I was only allowed to read Cafcass’s outdated reasoning during the hearing, and even that report didn’t include anything from my interview with them. When I tried to explain the situation, I was talked over and cut off. Despite the chaos, the missing information, and the fact that both social services and the police had already confirmed they found no reason for restricting contact, the court still adopted Cafcass’s recommendations in full.

Cafcass claim to act “in the best interests of the child,” but in my experience they act without transparency, without communication, without due process, and with a level of vindictiveness that has no place in any public service role — let alone one with the power to inflict serious emotional harm on children and families. Their behaviour created unnecessary conflict, confusion between agencies, and distress for a child who had absolutely no reason to be separated from a parent.

This organisation needs urgent oversight, clearer standards, and real accountability. What happened in my case should not be happening to any family in this country — yet it is.

Cafcass are now one of the worst-rated organisations on Trustpilot, with over a thousand reviews averaging around one star. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because the same failings repeat: zero transparency, poor communication, decisions with no evidence, and parents left completely in the dark while their relationship with their children is disrupted or destroyed.

If Cafcass were not government-backed, they would not survive. No private organisation with this level of complaints, this level of incompetence, and this level of documented failure would still be trading.

Families deserve far better than this. Children certainly deserve better than this.

Very bad, they ignore evidence and separate siblings and parents and make ridiculous reports and the officers seem hardly educated.

The worst institution to deal with children. They write reports on words without fact checking, often lies during interview which only takes 30 min via single phone call.
Where one Cafcass officer doesn't go with rhetoric and sees exactly what's happening, they promptly alter them to align with their preferred narrative, thereby escalating the case to a high-conflict situation.
I primarily encountered cafcass workers who possessed no skills when it comes to family or parenting issues.
Very criminal institution, mainly focused to remove a parent from children's life.

I will update my review once I feel safe that they have no ability to harm the mental well being of my children and I any further! Advice to everyone - write to ombudsman and report what they have done, we pay taxes for them to destroy children’s lives with un proven allegations/lies of domestic abuse! they need to be shut down

Overall these guys don't have a clue about children, family dynamics or even what day of the week it is. To some up it up, I feel sorry for anyone who feels the need to work at this place and destroy the lives of thousands of children, parents and grandparents. Corruption is rife amongst this place and the quicker this organisation is investigated and those responsible for the failings are locked up indefinitely, then the better!!!!

2 incompetent CRAPCASS idiots, have contributed to leaving two children without a father or paternal grandparents, for no actual reason. They literally need sacking and to never work with children or families again!!!! Both nice to your face, yet don't have the ability to actually see when they have been played. And if they do, we'll that makes them as emotionally dangerous, as the individual they have sided with.

Well done to you both, you should be proud of yourselves and your lack of brain cells.

Terrible experience never listen to the child or what’s best for them biased reports

Cafcass have failed my daughter twice. On two separate occasions, we have been through family court due to serious safeguarding concerns. On both occasions, my daughter was refused the opportunity to express her wishes, the Section 7 assessment was not completed, and Cafcass dismissed the safeguarding concerns I raised.

As a result, despite clear risks, the other parent was granted increasing levels of contact each time. It was only after the most recent final hearing that social services themselves had to intervene, recognising that I have done everything I can to protect my daughter, and are now assessing the risks posed by the other parent and implementing a safety plan.

Not only was this shocking enough, but social services reported to Cafcass that they have had EXTENSIVE involvement with that parents other child since 2014, which Cafcass did not consider to be relevant.

The entire experience has been an absolute shambles. Cafcass should be ashamed for the way they continue to fail children who rely on them for protection. The long-term impact this will have on these vulnerable children is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable.

I strongly advise other parents who feel Cafcass have failed them to take their complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Cafcass’s own internal complaints process does not properly investigate or take accountability for their serious shortfalls. Only by escalating matters externally is there any hope of real oversight and change.

If I could I would rate 0. Failed institution. Can't believe it still exists! Very poorly trained. Bias, sexiest, xenophobes. Not fit for purpose. People who are now adults, parents themselves, went through similar serious failures by the same family court system and institutions, when they were children. Awfully shocking! They are part of the problem. From judges, Cafcass court officers to the so called experts. Do not protect children, fathers or families. They destroy and traumatise. Take mothers false allegations and fake stories as facts. Parental alienation by mothers and maternal family is real. Abuse is not a gender issue. Parental Alienation also.

In the case of two young family members, despite them bravely disclosing clear and disturbing accounts of sexual abuse, CAFCASS ignored their voices and the supporting evidence. Instead, they pushed these vulnerable children back into an environment where they feel unsafe and traumatized. The damage this has done is irreversible. It has deeply affected their mental health, their sense of safety, and their trust in adults who are supposed to protect them. There must be serious accountability. How many more children need to suffer before action is taken? How many more will be silenced or forced into danger under the illusion of 'parental rights'? This is not just professional failure, it raises disturbing questions about the culture and priorities within CAFCASS. Urgent, transparent investigation is not only warranted, it is a moral imperative.It is absolutely shocking and beyond comprehension that individuals entrusted with the protection of children could instead be placing them directly in harm’s way. CAFCASS, whose duty is to safeguard children’s welfare, has instead, through inaction, negligence, or worse, facilitated continued access to children by known or alleged abusers. This is not just a failure of judgment; it is a betrayal of the highest order. Someone needs to help these poor children because CAFFCASS are not doing their job!

Utterly Disgusting Service. Treated worse than a dog with rabies. I had no voice, no one cared what so ever about my experience. The Reviews scream for themselves. All these people can't be WRONG!
I was judged by complete incompetence with zero regard for any truth. Judged and dismissed as a bad father without any thought or consideration. These people should be closed down. Its a SCAM. Designed to keep themselves employed.

I had so many glowing references from professionals and parents of children I teach, yet they were not accepted by the court or cafcass. A Cafcass team member even asked me if I was Gay! Utterly disgusting behaviour. I was made to complete vile online courses which I didn't see myself in a single question. I even had to stand and apologise in court for sending a card to my daughter that crossed a line. All I said was "I can't wait to see you". These people are vile!

Never felt so mistreated and alone. My poor daughter, starved of a father who utterly adores her!

Beware at all times.

The court advisor working for Cafcass is very unprofessional, she didn't call me on the appointment day without any notification before or after. After one week of the appointment date she messaged me to arrange the next appointment. On that day she was still being late to call me. During the phone call, her attitude was terrible, without patiance, talking in a super fast speed, giving me the feeling that I did something wrong and she was here to question and judge me. Afterwards in her report she wrote some reviews on me without evidence just using her stereotype.

I never imagined I would have to write this, but my experience with Cafcass over the past two years has been one of the most disheartening and damaging encounters of my life as a father. What I have seen is not a service that protects children or promotes balanced relationships, but one that routinely fails the families it is meant to help.

1. Delays, Disorganisation, and Lack of Communication

Cafcass took months to allocate a Family Court Adviser. After their initial “welcome letter,” there was silence for nearly three months. No meaningful engagement, no updates, no clarity. While families wait in limbo, relationships between parents and children deteriorate. The lack of urgency or structure contradicts everything they promise in their introductory materials.

2. Failure to Listen or Reflect Evidence

When my interview finally took place, I came prepared with documented facts: positive contact notes from the supervised centre, reports from my children’s school showing emotional stability, and my completion of multiple parenting and therapy programmes. None of it was acknowledged. The adviser repeated unproven allegations that had already been dismissed in court and ignored all the verified evidence showing my children were happy, safe, and thriving during contact. I was left feeling invisible, as if nothing I said mattered.

3. Bias and Lack of Critical Analysis

The report mirrored the narrative of the resident parent almost word for word. Serious contradictions and inaccuracies went unchallenged. Even when my children’s statements clearly reflected coaching or emotional priming (“Mum told me Dad could hurt me”), no safeguarding concern was raised. The adviser’s role seemed less about assessing truth and more about preserving a pre-set narrative.

4. Unprofessional and Dismissive Conduct

During my interview, the adviser remarked, “You know, most men walk away; it’s good you still want to be involved.” That comment stayed with me. It revealed the underlying bias in their culture: fathers are seen as optional, not essential. Yet the final report completely contradicted that brief moment of recognition and instead portrayed me as detached and lacking insight, despite clear evidence of commitment and progress.

5. Lack of Transparency and Accountability

Recommendations were never discussed with me before submission to court. They simply arrived as part of a report filled with factual errors, omissions, and speculation. Even the basic factual sections, such as court dates and timeline, were incomplete. There is no proper complaints mechanism that leads to accountability. “We listen and learn” is just branding; in practice, they do not listen, and nothing changes.

6. Impact on Children

This failure is not bureaucratic, it is human. Every delay, every biased report, every omission has a direct effect on children who are already caught in emotional conflict. In my case, these failings prolonged a more than 2 years denial of contact with our sons. Cafcass had the chance to support reunification and healing. Instead, they amplified division and distrust.

Conclusion

Cafcass presents itself as child-focused, but in reality it functions as a mechanical, overburdened, and risk-averse bureaucracy that too often reinforces the narrative of the louder parent. Families like mine are left to pick up the emotional wreckage. I am not alone in this; thousands of other parents are saying the same thing.

Cafcass needs fundamental reform:
- Independent oversight of their reports
- Training on unconscious bias and parental alienation
- Accountability for factual errors that affect real families
- Real dialogue with both parents, not one-sided narratives

Until that happens, I can only echo what many families have already said:
Cafcass is failing families, and in doing so, it is failing children.

Cafcass are even a disgrace to the Children Act 1989.

I had to take my ex to court because she wouldn’t allow me to have my child overnight. Although I have been in foster care as a child & had experience of been brought up by excellent foster parents it made me into a brilliant father. Unfortunately Cafcass have been extremely bias in court hearings & I say this because it’s factual too , I have a 3 year old boy & have been told I cannot take him abroad yet mother can take him away even though I initiated going away with both parents. I have been made to look like someone who’s a monster when in reality I have no criminal record , clean DBS and more so work in an environment where there’s children around. I have always put my child first yet Cafcass fail to look at the bigger picture, how do I explain to my 3 year old I’m taking my older son on holiday on a plane , my 3 year old misses out due to there poor decisions. The courts or CAFCASS should never intervene as much as this , both parents have Parental Responsibility and if both parents put there child first then neither should lose the right of taking them on holiday. CAFCASS are a disgrace & favours mothers more than fathers because of this status quo , not all fathers are bad people some just want to create special memories and give stability to there child hopefully when my child can express himself the courts and Cafcass can eat there recommendations. For anyone reading this please avoid court and Cafcass all together if you can , good parents do not need any inputted rules deal with it yourself and protect your peace , your money and lifetime of stress and court hearings

Corrupt to its core. Ignore safeguarding, complaints, send corrupt usbs when you ask for evidence, emails are purposely difficult to see and receive, can’t speak to anyone about anything. Lie, cover up and silence truth tellers, the worst of the worst social workers who couldn’t quite cut it get slung on this pile of excrement and justice is never done. They think they are untouchable and they are correct !! Abusers get kids, courts think they are gods. Never ever seen such evil hateful people in my life and that’s saying something. Someone really needs to whistle blow this nest of vipers!

If you're a female just cry and make up lies youll be able to boot the dad out of their childs life before they've even met them. No evidence no criminal history needed just lie and accuse your ex of everything and anything youll make them lose access for years while being absolutely destroyed mentally. Absolutely no chance these people should be anywhere near any children on earth pure monsters